There is a decoloring apparatus that erases a color of an image from a sheet subjected to image formation. The decoloring apparatus heats a sheet on which an image is formed with a decolorable color material and erases a color of the color material that forms the image on the sheet. The decoloring apparatus determines, before decoloring the image, whether the sheet is reusable. If prohibition information indicating that the image should not be decolored is included in the image or if a tear or the like occurs in the sheet, the decoloring apparatus determines that the sheet is unreusable and discharges the sheet without performing decoloring processing. Such a decoloring apparatus includes components such as a sheet conveying path, a reading section, a decoloring section, and a reusable sheet tray. In the conveying path, a conveying path in which an unreusable sheet tray is provided branches from a section between the reading section and the decoloring section.
In other words, the sheet conveying path of the decoloring apparatus branches to a first branch path and a second branch path on a downstream side in a sheet conveying direction of the reading section. The first branch path conveys the sheet to the decoloring section and the reusable sheet tray. The second branch path conveys the sheet to the unreusable sheet tray.
The decoloring apparatus reads, with the reading section, an image on a sheet and diverts, for example, if the prohibition information is not included in the image on the sheet, the sheet to the first branch path. After heating the sheet to decolor the image with the decoloring section, the decoloring apparatus discharges the sheet to the reusable sheet tray. If the prohibition information is included in the image on the sheet, the decoloring apparatus diverts the sheet to the second branch path and discharges the sheet to the unreusable sheet tray.
Such a decoloring apparatus reads an image for one sheet with the reading section and then determines whether the sheet is reusable. Therefore, length for one sheet is necessary between the reading section and a branch point in the sheet conveying path. In the first branch path through which a sheet, an image on which should be decolored, is conveyed, a space for setting the decoloring section is necessary. Therefore, such a decoloring apparatus in the past tends to be increased in size.